2011 Ford Explorer Steering
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle at the residence and determined that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized and was not functioning properly. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. As a result, the driver lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash into a gate where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering assist rack. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 185,000.
I was driving to Independence missouri and the power steering went out, it was difficult to steer and if I was going slow enough I could not turn the wheel at all. There was an alert that popped up stating power steering fault. My mechanic reset the code and it was fixed for about 30 minutes before coming back on. I took it to a Ford dealership in chillicothe missouri and they had to reset the entire module and reprogram it. This fixed the issue for about 2 weeks and it is now doing the same thing as before. I paid $150 for an hour of labor plus diagnostic. I am expecting to take it back to the dealership on 12/3 for the same issue.
I was driving down a highway at 55 MPH and my traction control lights came on. Next my assist power steering warning light came on which was yellow. Then the red assist power steering warning came on and I lost all power steering. The dealership did confirm the problem was my steering angle sensor, but said this did not fall under the recall anymore because I have too many miles.
Power steering has gone out on car. There was a previous recall but I was told it has expired. I am not over the miles allowed to claim the recall on the power steering. It is not safe to drive this car without properly being fixed. The recall should still be applied regardless of its expiration as I have not exceeded the milage. I don’t feel it is safe to have an expired recall on a car, especially if the milage is so low.
While driving power steering stopped working. Thankfully I was able to pull my vehicle over without incident. My vehicle has not been inspected as of yet by the dealership as I am on SSD called the dealership and the cost is $139.00 to run the diagnostic. Warning lights kicked on as soon as it happened. This was originally supposed to be remedied in recall 15N01 EPAS. I called the dealership and the cost for repair on this issue is extremely expensive compared to what I still owe on my explorer.
Steering wheel locked up when I tried to restart car
On or around December 15 while driving I lost the ability to steer the car without using considerable strength
I was on the highway and my whole steering went out and I bought the vehicle 2 years ago and learned today there was a recall in the steering gear and I need to know what I can do because I have 3 children one with down syndrome and we need to have a vehicle that is safe Please help.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering Now" message was displayed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a Manufacturer's Extended Customer Satisfaction Campaign related to the power steering malfunction. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced a loss of power steering functionality intermittently. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed; however, the failure progressively worsened. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH with her child in the rear seat, the vehicle made an abnormal beeping sound, the messages "Power Steering Failed" and "Service Advancetrac" were displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact called an independent mechanic who instructed the contact to temporarily disconnect the battery. The contact followed the instructions; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where it remained. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) and the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software was previously updated under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact's son owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel intermittently became stiff and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the "Service Power Steering Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the strut on the driver’s side had fractured. The contact was later informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact's daughter-in-law called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
The contact 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the recall repair did not need to be performed because the vehicle was not experiencing the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked, and the contact became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. No further information was provided. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering became functional. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently upon starting the vehicle. Several unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could only be diagnosed after the failure occurred. The contact stated that the failure had worsened and persisted after turning off and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
I own a 2011 Ford Explorer Limited with 150K miles. The Power Steering Assist light has come on a number of times. Typically when I first start the car and start to move. It has however failed 3 times while driving in traffic. I shut off the car and restart it and it clears and is drivable again. Today it failed about 4 miles from home and would not reset. I gimped it home with no power steering. I will take it to the dealer this week to see if they will honor their recall. DOA.
I have a vehicle recall on the Electronic Power Steering System for my Ford Explorer that my dealership is refusing to fix. They allegedly fixed it once but it is not working and is extremely dangerous. Ford says this: What I show for the EPAS steering, it's recall 14S06C. I show that this recall was performed for this VIN on April 6th, 2015 Please assist thank you!
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his fiancé was driving 45 MPH, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The "Service Power Steering" message was displayed. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The contact stated that the advance-trac and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
The rack and pinion has gone out on my 2011 ford explorer limited. It is available for inspection. My safety was at risk, it went out when I pulled out of a gas station after getting gas causing me to almost crash into another car. Dealerships claim to not be able to replicate the issue even though other 2011 models have a recall for this specific issue. We have attempted multiple times to have it repaired at multiple Ford dealerships. Before it completely went out, the steering would stick for a second sometimes then continue working like normal. After it completely went out a warning light appeared on the dash that states “Power Steering Assist Fault” and now the car will not steer with power steering.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact pulled over and stopped, turned off and restarted the vehicle several times, and the steering functionality returned. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was an intermittent failure and the vehicle had been taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the steering module and steering gear needed to be replaced. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 EPAS Power Steering Efforts (Steering). However, the contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,260.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the son was driving and accelerating from a stop light the power steering suddenly failed causing the vehicle to "jerk" to the right. During the failure, the "power steering" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000(STEERING). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 226,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed around a curb, the power steering had failed and the steering wheel had become difficult to steer. In addition, the contact had crashed under a bridge and the front passenger side tire had blown. The "power steering service now", "terrain management system fault", and "service advanced trac" warning lights were illuminated. During the crash, there was a 4-year-old seated in the rear of the seat. No injuries were sustained. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residents where the tire was replaced. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to an unidentified recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the steering wheel was intermittently firm. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel locked. The contact stated that the following day while attempting to move the steering wheel, the steering wheel was back to normal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,500.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a left turn into the parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to a local mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 198,000.
For about 1 month when I turned ignition on to pull off my steering would lock then once I started off it would be fine. I was driving from work and the steering completely locked up. And now the steering has completely went out. I am aware of the recall. And when Ford pulls up my vin it is part of the recall however, they won't approve it to be fixed under the recall 14S06 OR 15N01 because they say it's not covered because of the 150,000 mile 10 year extended coverage! I also am very aware of the SUPPLEMENT #3 WHERE FORD SENT ALL FORD DEALERSHIPS A NOTIFICATION STATING THAT THEY ARE TO FIX THE VEHICLE UNDER THOSE RECALLS REGARDLESS OF THE 150,000 MILE 10 YEAR COVERAGE! I have the letter printed out and took to Ford dealership where my car currently is and has been for a month fighting with Ford to fix it under those recalls SUPPLEMENT #3!! AND dealership tried telling ford rep that he had letter in front of him that is the supplement 3 but Ford rep acting like he didn't know what we were talking about! How do I get this fixed. It's a huge safety issue and I cannot drive it under these circumstances. Well it's not drivable at all!
I was driving 68 MPH down the highway when my car threw a Power Stearing Assist Fault, I almost hit head on with a Semi but was able to hit my E break and put the car in neutral to get back over to my side fo the road. I had to have the car towed, my mechanic said there was a recall on the Electric Power Assist System. the Reference number is 14v286000. I called the ford dealship and explained to them the situation as well as what my mechanic said and they told me they were not going to do anything for the vehicle. How are we not going to replace faulty parts that almost took someones life. Someone has to be held resposible as there should be safety measures in place on the vehicle to prevent this and there were none and now the manufacturing company isnt going to honor the recall put into place by the NHTSA.
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The 2011 Ford Explorer has 603 Steering complaints on file. 12 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.